Here are a few little tastes:
The Red Sox won four games from the Yankees last year after being down 3-0 in the ALCS. Ninety-nine out of 100 times that wouldn't happen.
That was the first time it had happened, ever, in baseball, and like the third time in any sport, and the other two were (I believe) in hockey in like the 1940's. It seems like that would have been a better way to put it.
...you can only put your back against the wall so many times and bounce back, and this is a different Red Sox team. Last year, you had Pedro Martinez and Curt Schilling at the top of their rotation. Schilling right now isn't at the top of his game, and you don't know who in the Red Sox rotation can match up with White Sox starters. Game 3 starter Tim Wakefield has been good on occasion, but not lately.
Wakefield in September: 2-1, 1.99 ERA. 28 H in 40.2 IP, 34/7 K/BB, .197 BAA. Those are "Pitcher of the Month"-type numbers. He did get knocked around by a red-hot Yankees team in his one October start, but that was on three days' rest. So, saying he hasn't been good lately is kind of dumb.
Last year when the Red Sox were down 3-0 to the Yankees, I said no way they could come back. I won't go that far -- won't make that mistake again, so to speak -- but I don't think they can come back from down 2-0, because they don't have the same rotation.
"So to speak?" How is "won't make that mistake again" a figure of speech? That's just...a phrase.
...even if Wakefield and Schilling win their starts, it's going to be very difficult for Boston to come back and win this series. They would still have to go back to Chicago for Game 5, and who would start that game for Boston?
Bronson Arroyo. Not that that's good, or bad, or whatever, but that's who would start. Or maybe Wells on short rest, or regular rest, if there's a rainout in the next two days, which is actually likely. Just FYI, Joe -- there are ways of divining these elusive mysteries.
Labels: joe morgan, red sox
